How to Choose a Smartphone or PDA

How to use this guide

• Ask yourself what you want to do with your device.
• Do you want a device with or without a touch screen.
• Read about the strengths and weaknesses of the various touchscreen and non-touchscreen devices. Notice the Editor's Choices.
• See what our Board of Experts say about their favorite devices.
• Check out alternatives to Windows Mobile.
• If you work for a large organization, see if vertical niche PDAs are what you need.
• Compare the specifications of the devices that interest you.

Microsoft's new "You can do more" ad campaign focuses on the strengths and capabilities of Windows Mobile. You can view it at startdoingmore.com.

Touch screen or no touch screen that is the question

The single most noticeable difference between the various Windows Mobile devices is whether they have a touch screen interface or not. This determines how the device is controlled (by tapping on the screen or pressing buttons on the keypad) and the size of the device (touch screen devices tend to have a larger screen). In addition, there are other less significant differences that you need to be aware of before purchasing a Windows Mobile device.

Pros and Cons: Touch screen vs. non-touch screen

If you don't want integrated phone capability, take a look at the Windows Mobile PDAs. If you want a phone-enabled device, you need to fist decide whether you want a device with or without a touch screen Here's a description of the general pros and cons associated with these devices:

Touch screen devices (Pocket PCs, Phone Editions, WM 6 Smartphone Professionals)

Pros:

• Touch screen interface may be easier to use: A touch screen interface allows you to control the device and access features by tapping on the screen with a stylus or your finger. This can be easier and quicker than using a keypad, but it also requires two hands to do it–one to hold the device and the other to tap.
• More powerful and feature-rich: The hardware specs on touch screen devices tend to be more impressive and the Microsoft application suite built into them more feature rich.
• Thousands of third-party software solutions: Because Windows Mobile touch screen devices have been around since 2001, many more third-party applications have been created for them. This provides you with more opportunities to customize your device.
• Easier to enter text: You can use one of four software-based input panels to enter text: a soft QWERTY keyboard, two character recognition panels that convert hand-written characters into text, and Transcriber, a handwriting recognition program that translates print, cursive, or mixed-style handwriting into text. In addition, a number of third-party soft keyboards are available for these devices. Also, touch screen devices come with Word Completion, a feature that displays a list of possible words based on the first few letters you enter so that you can tap on the desired word to finish entering it. Finally, many phone-enabled touch screen devices now include QWERTY keyboards, either on the face of the device or on a panel that slides out from the back.